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Post by garej on May 1, 2021 16:49:49 GMT 1
Been as we normally start the Summer Reading Challenge in June which is only an month away I thought I would start a thread.
I will be able to post rosettes out this year as last year I was unable to do so. Although I am considered vulnerable to coronavirus due to pre existing health conditions I have had my first jab and I have an date for my second. By the time the Summer Reading Challenge has finished I would have had my second and I should be ok.
Anyway back to the Summer Reading Challenge. My suggestions are the following
- we do an book that has either an lockdown/quarantine or an human illness theme. Been as coronavirus hasn't entirely gone away and we covered quarantine last year I thought we could cover it again - we do an re-read of a previous Summer Reading Challenge book. As the Summer Reading Challenge has been going for an number of years and everyone has at least taken part in at least one previous Reading Challenge it's interesting to compare faces. - we do the usual recommended books.
I dont know what post is like atm especially international but in case it's slow it may be worth raiding your own library again or ordering well in advance once Claire confirms the categories. Or downloading ebooks.
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Post by susanb on May 5, 2021 16:42:21 GMT 1
Definitely up for the 2021 Summer Challenge! I probably will pull from my tbr pile....I, erm, fell off the book wagon last year and bought a ton I'll hit as many categories as I can, but how many will depend on what I've got on hand. One I know I'm going to do is a recently acquired title: Ponies in Secret by D.A. Young. I've wanted it for a while, having heard about the lovely color illustrations, but it's even more impressive than I had anticipated....a slightly oversize, thick book with numerous black and while illustrations, in addition to the full page color plates
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Post by tintin on May 5, 2021 19:12:35 GMT 1
Count me in!
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Post by susanb on May 7, 2021 20:57:39 GMT 1
Chucking out a few ideas on categories, how about a historic setting? Or a book by an author you haven't read before?
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Post by Claire on May 7, 2021 22:43:36 GMT 1
Hi all...some good ideas there. I particularly like the idea of historical, we may not have covered that category before. I will mull over the possibilities and finalise categories in the next month. If anyone has any other suggestions or would just like to put their name down for the challenge let me know.
Thanks, once again for organising the rosettes Garej. It's much appreciated by everyone who takes part.
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Post by garej on May 7, 2021 23:22:31 GMT 1
Another category I thought of is fictional books by a horsey celebrity/people who had a career other than writing. Examples include Marion Coakes, Pippa Funnell, Pat Smythe, Katie Price, Dick Francis, Clare Balding, Caroline Akrill, Ginny Eliot, Glenda Spooner that I can think of off the top of my head. I dont think we have done many celebrity's books though whether they are any good remains to be seen!
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Post by garej on May 8, 2021 20:50:17 GMT 1
I went and read through all the years we have been doing the Summer Reading Challenge the other day. We started in 2012 and apart from the first year I have taken part in them all. Anyway we definitely haven't done historical before but we have done books by an author you haven't read before.
Interestingly I have done the same book twice: A Pony for Jean by Joanna Cannan. Although they were 2 different editions so if we are going for a re-read I think I had better choose something else.
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Post by Claire on May 9, 2021 22:07:17 GMT 1
I went and read through all the years we have been doing the Summer Reading Challenge the other day. We started in 2012 and apart from the first year I have taken part in them all. Anyway we definitely haven't done historical before but we have done books by an author you haven't read before. Interestingly I have done the same book twice: A Pony for Jean by Joanna Cannan. Although they were 2 different editions so if we are going for a re-read I think I had better choose something else. Wow I simply can't believe we have been doing it for that many years! I thought maybe 5 years.
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Post by darkhorse on May 16, 2021 23:20:52 GMT 1
I'm hoping to have time to join in this year. Planning on doing a lot of decorating this summer so I may only be able to manage a short list.
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Post by garej on May 17, 2021 12:52:25 GMT 1
darkhorse I hope that you can join in. I normally do a short list every year and if I manage to read all the books on it then add a few more. If that's acceptable to Claire each year then dont worry about not having the full ten. I think there's only been 1 year where I have managed 10 books as something always distracts me from reading each year.
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Post by Claire on May 19, 2021 21:37:44 GMT 1
Lists can be as short as you like. I don't like to have many rules as it's all just a bit of fun.
Don't worry folks if I don't seem to have started organising the challenge yet. I am very busy at the moment getting my house on the market and trying to organise my move to Spain. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have more spare time to get everything together and start a dedicated thread, but I will get a list of categories sorted in the next few days so you can all choose your books.
Oh just one more thing - would everyone taking part like to recommend a book as per the last couple of years?
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Post by garej on May 20, 2021 15:32:49 GMT 1
Thanks for the update Claire.
If we are doing the historical category then I know what book I am doing. It will be JPT's Black Swift. I dont know if it will be any good because I don't generally like pony pov books but hopefully the fact it's by a PT will mean it's a decent read.
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Post by susanb on May 22, 2021 0:53:33 GMT 1
Wow, I’m impressed, Claire....moving to another country! I have to admit I live in the same town I was born in ... you are a daredevil!
Re recommended books, it’s always fun, but I’m guessing obtaining more books could be an issue for some?
Perhaps having a varied approach....a thought I had for myself would be to list off some of my staggering tbr pile and the group could recommend from among the titles?
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Post by Claire on May 22, 2021 19:40:57 GMT 1
Thanks for the update Claire. If we are doing the historical category then I know what book I am doing. It will be JPT's Black Swift. I dont know if it will be any good because I don't generally like pony pov books but hopefully the fact it's by a PT will mean it's a decent read. Defo having the historical category. I have read all the PT's historical ones and enjoyed them, even though like you Garej I'm not a huge fan of pony POV. But I do like history. Not 100% sure about the other categories yet. I think probably not a quarantime related book, partly cos there's not that many, partly cos I'm sick to death of it all! I also do like the idea of a book written by a horsy celeb so that will most probably be in the final list - which I will decide on in the next couple of days. I thought for the recommended book titles we could all choose 2 so there is more chance of everyone being able to get hold of at least one. As with all the categories, don't forget you don't have to choose books to fulfill all the categories - or even any of them if you prefer not to - the Challenge is total free choice.
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Post by garej on May 23, 2021 15:26:24 GMT 1
I like history too. I did it for my gcse and am one of the few people who enjoy stately homes. I did try and read Black Swift years ago but failed. I have been putting the Black Beauty Family PT ones off so that I could review them all together as many of them are in the same book hence why there isn't any in my PT blog. But I know that Black Swift isn't a part of the Black Beauty series hence why I chose it so that I can update the PT blog. My goal this year is to update the PT blog at least twice this year.
Also if we are doing the horsey celebrity books I will probably choose one of Pat Smythe books. I have only read the first of the Three Jay's series and don't remember much of it despite owning the entire Three Jay's series. I only own A Swiss Adventure as far as the rest of the fictional books go.
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Post by susanb on May 23, 2021 17:33:04 GMT 1
I’m in the same boat re Pat Smythe....I have all the Three Jays, (those covers!), but have only read a couple (the first and the Border)
I think I’ll go for Three Jays go to Rome, as it’s an Olympic book and it’s an Olympic year again (I said the same thing for a previous challenge....5 years ago? 8? No matter, this is going to be the year! 😊)
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Post by Claire on May 27, 2021 22:43:34 GMT 1
Hi all, a quick escape from the madness that is house-selling at the moment in order to update the challenge info. I have decided on the categories which I will list below. Thank you to Garej and Susan for the suggestions. I have also decided to continue the upbeat vibe begun with our Spring group read, by adding another humorous book to the list.
SUMMER READING CHALLENGE 2021 - CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM:
A HISTORICAL PONY BOOK
A BOOK WRITTEN BY A HORSY CELEBRITY
A PONY BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR YOU HAVEN'T READ BEFORE
A HUMOROUS PONY BOOK
BOOK RECOMMENDED BY FORUM MEMBER
I will get the dedicated thread set up soon. Please can you let me know your recommendations - it would be good if we could recommend 2 or 3 each this year so we have a bigger 'pot' to choose from.
My recommendations:
Sue-Elaine Draws a Horse by Marion Coakes and Gillian Hirst aka Gillian Baxter (Horsy celeb)
No Ponies for Miss Pobjoy by Ursula Moray Williams (humorous)
Small Gains by K M Peyton (historical)
I'll probably do a 3 Jays book for the horsy celeb and The Unwilling Adventurers by Veronica Westlake for humorous. (I didn't put that one on my recommended list because it's hard to find). I'll have to mull over the others.
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Post by susanb on May 28, 2021 3:22:07 GMT 1
Ooo! I was wondering what I could do for humorous book, then I read your last sentence....I’ve got Unwilling Adventurers, and I haven’t read it yet!*
Will figure out rest of list this week 😊
*Erm....can I count it as my recommended book 😁
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Post by garej on May 28, 2021 18:36:47 GMT 1
My recommendations are
- A Pony for Jean by Joanna Cannan. There's plenty of copies available on amazon so shouldn't be terribly hard to find if you're not bothered what edition. Plus an ebook too. - Ponies in Peril by DPT. Again not terribly hard to find if you're not bothered about edition and it's recently been released as an ebook too. - Winning by Ginny Eliot. Another one not terribly hard to find but it's by a horsey celebrity. Set in the world of racing (it's part of a series if you like it) and an easy going read. I read it when it first came out and it is one of those books that's stayed with me for good reasons. Sadly there's no ebook as far as I am aware.
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Post by garej on May 28, 2021 19:49:27 GMT 1
My choices are the following:-
A HISTORICAL PONY BOOK
As previously mentioned Black Swift by JPT.
A BOOK WRITTEN BY A HORSY CELEBRITY
Undecided but by Pat Smythe. Probably one of the Three Jay's books.
A PONY BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR YOU HAVEN'T READ BEFORE
Dark Champion by Arthur Waterhouse. I have had that book for a number of years and never read it.
A HUMOROUS PONY BOOK
Hildebrand. Again a book I have had for a number of years and I think I have put it on my Summer Reading Challenge list before. [Edit] Having looked back on previous Summer Reading Challenges I chose it back in 2015 but never read it.
I think that it for now as per usual I only do a short list and will add more if I complete them.
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Post by darkhorse on May 29, 2021 19:25:15 GMT 1
My book recommendations:
Historical - King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
Humour - Either Pony Club Team or Pony Club Camp
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Post by susanb on May 29, 2021 20:02:25 GMT 1
The list so far!
I happened to come across a French book (English translation) and thought it might be fun to hit all of my ancestry in this year’s challenge....English, Irish, French and American. My tentative list already had English and American titles on it, and I was able to pick up Heavenly Carthorse cheaply.
Unusually this year, I’m hitting several authors I haven’t read before: Young, Hamilton, Holmes, Saint-Marcoux
1. Ponies in Secret/D.A. Young (author I haven’t read before ) 2. Three Jays Go to Rome/Pat Smythe (celebrity author ) 3. Hearts of Fire/Victoria Holmes (historical) 4. Unwilling Adventurers/Veronica Westlake (humorous/recommended ) 5. Ride ‘em Peggy/Elisa Bialk 6. Heavenly Carthorse/Esme Hamilton (Irish) 7. Growing Summer/Noel Streatfeild (English) 8. Green Slippers/Saint-Marcoux (French) 9. Blythe Girls: Three on a Vacation/Laura Lee Hope (American)
Recommendations: Riding Shotgun/Rita Mae Brown (historical, by way of a time slip) Working Trot/Jesse Haas Pony Problem/Barbara Holland (humorous) Lord Mayor’s Show/Vian Smith Sawdust in His Shoes/Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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Post by tintin on May 31, 2021 16:59:23 GMT 1
After some thought I am going for:-
HISTORICAL - Can I get There by Candlelight (J Slaughter-Doty) CELEBRITY - Three Jays Go to Rome (Pat Smythe) AUTHOR NOT READ BEFORE - A Pony for Belinda (Mary Gervaise) HUMOROUS - (2 Books) - Caroline Canters Home and I wish I Could Ride (Caroline Akrill) - yes you were right Claire they did eventually come down in price! HURRAH! RECOMMENDED - Working Trot (Jesse Haas)
and in the purely voluntary:-
NON-FICTION - Scarlet Lancer (Brigadier James Lunt) NOT QUITE-PONY - Peter's Private Army (Jean MacGibbon) - a book I remember from school and want to re-read as an adult
Now as to my recommendations it depends what you want, but the horse story I most enjoyed in a very long time is - Murder on the Hoof (Glynn Jenkins) which is a murder mystery, but in the delightful atmosphere of the Royal Artillery Hunter Trials on Salisbury Plain. An astonishingly well written book, but very dark is Come to Grief (Dick Francis) where his engaging ex-Jockey Private Eye Sid Halley investigates horse mutilations. It features in addition themes of cancer, psychopaths and betrayal - it is even darker than Cobblers Dream in subject matter, but I think more optimistic as to human nature and an astonishingly empathetic book. For something completely different there is the modern book The Palomino Pony Comes Home (Olivia Tuffin) which is a delightful traditional pony story, but a quick read and wonderful if you are a bit down and frail. Also for something original The Quicksand Pony (A Lester) - I would highly recommend the Audible Audio Book, I have started using audio books in the past 9 months, the narrators vary tremendously from dire to brilliant and this has one of the best. She does all the voices and imparts an appropriately distinctive Australian character to the book as well. This one is also a little dark, but has a decently upbeat ending
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Post by Claire on Jun 1, 2021 9:20:51 GMT 1
Thanks to all for sending in lists and recommendations. It's been a real madhouse here the last few days but I have got an offer on my house now, so fingers crossed it will all go smoothly and I can breathe a sigh of relief and relax, with a bit of time to myself. So watch this space for the dedicated Reading Challenge thread.
Tintin, Come to Grief is one of my favourite books, well perhaps favourite is not the right word as it is very, very dark. Your precis of it describes it perfectly. Oh and glad to hear you got hold of some not too pricey copies of the Akrill books.
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Post by tintin on Jun 3, 2021 13:41:58 GMT 1
Well "Peter's Private Army" arrived yesterday and it was brilliant - all the stuff I could n't understand between the age of 7 and 9 I get now! It even manages to sneak in, just, as a pony book as key to the plot are two mules. OK they are less than 2 inches tall (0.5HH?) and made of lead, but still crucial...
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Post by tintin on Jun 4, 2021 20:50:05 GMT 1
"A Pony for Belinda" (Mary Gervaise) - big smiley face - was brilliant, I have to read the others
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Post by haffyfan on Jun 5, 2021 21:26:04 GMT 1
If it's not too late i'd like to join in please?
Afraid my list will just random as i just found amazon is offering 3 months kindle unlimited free as an early prime day offer. So i've chosen some books/continuations of series i have previously started which i've wanted to read but not wanted to pay for
Palm Beach - Kim Ablon Whitney Hoofbeats - Catherine Rix Sole Possession - Gillian baxter Ambitions and Horses at Bracken - Gillian baxter Rivalry in Riding Boots - Annie Le Voguer (Author i've never read before)
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Post by susanb on Jun 6, 2021 21:09:48 GMT 1
Hi Haffy!
Not sure if they are available for kindle unlimited, but these are on kindle:
Sawdust in His Shoes by Eloise Jarvis McGraw Working Trot by Jesse Haas Riding Shotgun by Rita Mae Brown
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Post by garej on Jun 7, 2021 1:52:13 GMT 1
Haffy I didnt know that Sole Possession and there had been another Bracken one existed so they have been added to my amazon wishlist. Thanks very much!
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Post by garej on Jun 8, 2021 0:46:34 GMT 1
Ok have got out the books relevant to the challenge. As for the Pat Smythe book I have decided on Three Jay's Go To Rome as many of us are doing it and I thought it would be interesting to compare faces.
Also as a side note hope you are ok Claire as you haven't posted for a while.
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